KRASNOYARSK, Russia – The satellite of the joint AngoSat-2 project of Russia and Angola will be superior to its predecessor that has broken down, the head of the State Space Activities Corporation of Russia (Roscosmos), Dmitry Rogozin, told reporters.

During a visit to the Krasmash defense company in the Russian city of Krasnoyarsk, he reported that a new satellite had been improved and “in the negotiations with the partner, new wishes and requests began to emerge.”

“There is a relationship between the Russian corporation RKK Energia [which led to the construction of the satellite] and Angolan customers, but they are resolved at the level of the intergovernmental,” Rogozin said.

He also noted that Russia is currently working closely with African countries in terms of cooperation in the space industry.

“We usually work with the African countries in close collaboration, this is a very large market, everyone comes into this market, and after the success of our mission with the Egyptians, we hope to get an additional order. vitality,” said the head of Roscosmos.

AngoSat Satellite

AngoSat communications satellite, built for Angola, was launched into orbit in late 2017. Communication with the satellite was lost almost immediately after launch. The device was insured at $ 121 million, costing $ 252 million, and instead of compensating for the lost satellite, Russia has promised to build a new device at its own expense.

Prospects and plans

Previously, Vladimir Tararov, Russia’s ambassador to Angola, told Sputnik about the prospects and plans for space cooperation between the two countries. The diplomat commented on the Russian-Angolan cooperation in this area and the importance of the construction of these satellites.

According to the ambassador, although the process of building the first AngoSat-1 Angolan satellite had been difficult enough, he was able to get into orbit, the Angolan experts were the first to contact him. Unfortunately, due to a power failure, the satellite failed to function as expected.

The AngoSat-2, according to Tararov, should be more sophisticated and could be important for telecommunication and telephone connection not only in Angola, but also in other countries. These technologies can be used in medicine, security, defense and the daily lives of millions of people and transform Angola into a regional power .